A renewable fuel trial at Rio Tinto’s iron ore operations has cut direct emissions in the Pilbara by 10 per cent over a four-week period.
A renewable fuel trial at Rio Tinto’s iron ore operations has cut direct emissions in the Pilbara by 10 per cent over a four-week period.
Rio Tinto has for the past month been working with Viva Energy and renewable diesel producer Neste on a trial to blend 10 million litres of diesel made from used cooking oil with its existing fuel.
The result, a 20 per cent renewable diesel blend, was used to fuel rail, marine, blasting, haul trucks, mining machinery and light vehicles for four weeks.
Rio Tinto rail, port, and core services managing director Richard Cohen said diesel accounted for about 70 per cent of emissions from the Pilbara.
“While electrification is the ultimate longerterm solution for repowering the majority of our fleet, we’re also exploring biofuels as a complementary and nearer-term solution,” he said.
“Through this trial with Neste and Viva Energy, we’ve gained valuable insights into how renewable diesel can help bridge the gap to widespread electrification as well as for circumstances where electrification may not be suitable.”
The trial reduced scope one emissions in the Pilbara by about 27,000 tonnes for the month, the equivalent of taking 6,300 cars off the road for a year.
Rio Tinto’s Pilbara operations emit about 260,000 tonnes of direct – known as scope one and two – carbon emissions each month. That comes from its iron ore and salt assets.
The company has a target to reduce direct emissions 50 per cent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
Viva Energy chief strategy office Lachlan Pfeiffer said drop-in biofuels helped companies reduce emissions without having to invest in new equipment or infrastructure.
“This trial effectively demonstrated the critical role renewable diesel is going to play in reducing the carbon footprint of Australia’s heavy industry,” he said.
“Viva Energy is working alongside key partners like Rio Tinto to help them to identify the right low-carbon solution to meet their specific business needs.”
Neste commercial APAC renewable products head Ee Pin Lee said its product had now been trialed successfully on Rio Tinto sites in Australia and the US.
Some 11 per cent of traditional fuel has been replaced by Neste’s product at Rio’s Boron and Kennecott operations in the US.
Rio Tinto last year bought a 3,000-hectare north Queensland farm to trial pongamia seed oil as a biodiesel crop.
